Happy Birthday, Grandpa Rex!

My dad drove many miles to visit his grandchildren, and Jake and Jill were definitely no exception. This first picture shows Dad with Jill in Provo, Utah, when she was about a month old.  She doesn't look all too happy in this picture, but Dad sure does.  He made this drive just to meet her.

When Jake was born in Avignon, France, Dad flew to Paris and then took a train to Avignon so that he could come meet him.  I remember feeling in awe over the fact that he made that trip successfully on his own all that way to meet this grandson of his.  He spent a week with us in Avignon, and we finally remembered to take a picture early in the morning in Paris as we were about to take him to the airport.  We woke Jake up to take a picture with his grandpa, and he was crying because he just wanted to sleep.  (Shall get that picture from Jake and post it here.)

This picture is taken on the front step of our apartment in Pullman, Washington.  Dad came to visit us there quite often.  One weekend we were out of town; and when we returned home, there was a note from Dad on our door that said something like, "Seems like you should stay home once in awhile." He hadn't notified us that he was planning to drop by, of course, but he expected us to be there nonetheless!

This one is at Uncle Dick's house in Selah, Washington, where we used to gather to celebrate the Fourth of July with the Bollmans.  As you can see, Dad was always trying to interact with his grandkids.

This last picture is a tribute to my cowboy Dad.  This looks like a picture where you dress up in western attire to have your picture taken--but, no, this is authentic Rex Bollman.  This picture was taken with his good friend Bud Boller at the old Paradise Ranger Station on Whitecap Creek in upper Selway River country in Idaho around mid-October of 1938.

Dad's on the left.  Happy Birthday, Daddy-O!!  He would be 107 years old today as his birthdate was February 23, 1909.  Wish he could have been here to meet Ben and Daniel, but he died June 1, 1985, and Ben wasn't born until 1988 and Daniel, 1990.